Petition to the City Council of Tacoma
To Preserve & Extend Our Tree Canopy
Petition to the City Council of Tacoma To Preserve & Extend Our Tree Canopy
At 20%, Tacoma has the smallest tree canopy of any city in the Puget Sound area! The City Council promised us in 2009 and again in 2019 to increase our tree canopy to 30% by 2030. We are not on track and no increase has been achieved. This is now urgent as new development threatens our existing 20% tree canopy. We ask the city to honor its commitment and deliver what was promised!
Why? Our trees are our most important asset to:
-
Clean our air, and produce the oxygen we need to breathe
-
Help offset rising temperatures in our city
-
Reduce stormwater runoff while limiting soil erosion and pollution in our waterways
-
Improve the public health of our communities
-
Add beauty to our neighborhoods while muffling city noise
-
Offer food, protection and homes for wildlife
-
Bring cooling shade to our buildings in the summer and buffer against cold weather in the winter
We the undersigned registered voters and/or residents of Tacoma and Pierce County, who are concerned about the loss of tree canopy, respectfully request the City Council to take the following actions:
Actions Completed:
-Pass the Tree Ordinance TMC 9.20 currently proposed by our Urban Forestry Department (Passed 12/12/23!)
​
Actions Still Needed:
-
Fully fund and implement the planting of enough new trees (with appropriate maintenance) to achieve the City’s goal of 30%
canopy by 2030. -
Integrate the protection of established trees and the planting of new trees based on a standard minimum requirement for canopy coverage into the Home in Tacoma revisions.
-
Fund the City of Tacoma's Urban Forestry Program with adequate staffing (including a Landscape Architect).
-
Create the volunteer Urban Forest Commission called for in the city-adopted Urban Forest Management Plan.
-
Create a Heritage Tree Program that designates and protects trees of unique value to the neighborhoods where they reside
-
Educate developers and tree service companies to understand how important trees are to the future of our city and encourage them to seek ways to preserve established trees.